RETAIL ROUND-UP: What’s new at Navigatr
From appointments to conferences, and a new ambassadors program, it’s been busy days at Navigtr. Here’s the latest from the travel company’s agency brands Ensemble and Travel Edge Network.
News
TAMMY THOMPSON JOINS MSC CRUISES CANADA
MSC Cruises Canada has announced the appointment of travel industry veteran Tammy Thompson as Business Development Manager for Ontario and Atlantic Canada, based in Toronto.
DISNEY CRUISE LINE: New retreat to celebrate natural, cultural beauty of Bahamas
Disney Cruise Line will unveil a new island destination in summer 2024 celebrating the unique culture of The Bahamas. Located on Eleuthera, Lighthouse Point is being designed in close collaboration with local artists and advisors to provide an experience that “combines breathtaking natural beauty with the magic of Bahamian hospitality, storytelling and artistry.”
BLOSSOMS ARRIVE EARLY: ‘Confusing weather’ fast tracks famous cherry fest
A “confusing” changing climate has prompted Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms to appear earlier than expected this year due to an unusually warm winter. The district’s 3,700 cherry blossom trees are expected to reach peak bloom March 22-25 – several days earlier than previously expected.
MERGER LIMBO LIFTED: Westjet-Sunwing deal comes with conditions
The federal government has approved WestJet Airlines’ takeover of Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations, but the deal is subject to a host of conditions designed to enhance service for consumers and ensure and bolster Sunwing operations outside of Calgary for least five years.
AN UNUSUAL DISPUTE: Four Flair aircraft seized by Leasing company
On Saturday Flair Airlines had four Boeing 737 MAX 8s seized by its leasing company at three Canadian airports, Toronto, Edmonton, and Waterloo. Leasing companies seizing aircraft is highly unusual. A statement from the air carrier called the move by “a New York-based hedge fund” to take the aircraft “extreme and unusual.” It said Flair would use additional fleet capacity” to lessen the effect on passengers, adding it did not foresee any major disruptions to its route map.
LIFE IN LVIV: Mayor invites ‘brave’ Canadians to visit
Ukrainian leaders say one of the best ways for Canadians to support the embattled country’s economy is to pack their bags and come see it for themselves. “If you’re brave, welcome to Lviv,” says mayor Andriy Sadovyi.
UNIWORLD UNVEILS LIMITED EDITION CRUISES
Exclusive experiences, special programming, surprise sailings, and themed cruises will define Uniworld Boutique River Cruises’ Limited Edition Collection of cruises – a series of special departures operating only once or twice this summer.
FORGING AHEAD: Britain’s Black Country Living Museum broadens appeal
Britain’s award-winning Black Country Living Museum, recognizable as backdrop for the popular “Peaky Blinders” Netflix show, is forging ahead with its biggest development since 1978 as the historic attraction adds the story of the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, to its comprehensive social history of the “black country” industrial heartland near Birmingham.
ROUND-UP: March 6-10, 2023
The return of world’s biggest travel show (ITB) highlights last week’s round-up, along with protests in France and Israel, improving results from Transat, more summers seats at WestJet, cruise line booking records, and big resort news in Toronto’s north end.
TRANSAT ON THE ‘UPSWING’: Momentum continues from 2022
Though still reporting a $56.6-million loss in its latest quarter, Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says the company is on an upswing and is headed for a return to profitability. The 2023 Q1 result compares to a loss of $114.3 million a year earlier as its revenue more than tripled.
DOMESTIC DEALS EXCEPTION TO RISING AIR PRICES
As demand surges and airfares soar to new heights, many Canadians are in search of travel deals this year. And low prices are out there – particularly for domestic flights.
ISRAELI PROTESTS CONTINUE, BLOCK AIRPORT
Demonstrators in Israel, who have been out protesting for more than two months against a contentious government proposal to overhaul the judiciary, launched a “day of resistance to dictatorship” on Thursday. Protesters waving Israeli flags descended on the country’s main international airport, snarling traffic and blocking the artery leading to the departures area with their cars.
EXOTIC ISTANBUL, WHERE EAST MEETS WEST
Once known as Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine and then Ottoman Empires, Istanbul boasts a plethora of architectural marvels from mosques to harems to bazaars. Though the largest city in Turkiye (the country changed its name from Turkey in 2021) and once the capital, (Ankara is now the capital) Istanbul reigns as Turkiye’s main tourist attraction for myriad reasons.
BERLIN BACKS TOPLESS BATHING
Women in Berlin will soon be allowed to go topless at the city’s public swimming pools – just like men. The new bathing rules allowing everyone to go swimming without covering their torsos followed a discrimination complaint by a woman who was not allowed to go topless in a swimming pool in the German capital.
PUBS, PATIOS & BARS: For whom the mojito tolls
I’ll be honest, I don’t really get the Ernest Hemingway cult in Cuba (or elsewhere), but if you’re like a lot of visitors to Havana, at some point you’ll attempt to stop by the Old Town venue most commonly known as “the Hemingway bar,” otherwise known as La Bodeguita del Medio.
CARNIVAL CRACKS DOWN ON CRUISERS BEHAVING BADLY
Fun is fun, but don’t let yours spoil someone else’s good times, Carnival Cruise Line is warning spring breakers. “You will be sailing with us during Spring Break, which is traditionally a period of high occupancy,” a letter being sent to passengers says. “As part of our commitment to create the best environment to provide a fun and memorable vacation for all, we would like to remind you of our Safety First! guidelines, as we CHOOSE FUN TOGETHER.”
LISTENING IN: Where would we be without The Doobie Brothers?
If there’s a bad thing about our weekly music videos, it’s that some songs can make you feel old – like this week’s offering of The Doobie Brothers, which corresponds with the band’s ongoing 50th anniversary tour. Fifty years (yikes)! Conversely, they can also make you feel young again as you relive old favourites.
IT’S A START: FAA says technology will help avoid some dangerous landings
Federal officials said Wednesday they have completed outfitting 43 major US airports with technology to warn when incoming planes are aimed at a taxiway instead of a runway.
HIGH HOPES: Caribbean revels in travel resurgence
Travel in the Caribbean in 2023 has “started with a bang” and, barring any unforeseen “catastrophes,” the Caribbean Tourism Organization expects the resurgence that started last year to continue a reach pre-pandemic arrivals levels “and beyond” in near future.
TRAVELLERS AFFECTED AS FRENCH PROTESTS RAGE
Plane, trains, and art museums were among the affected services Wednesday as protests against the government over pension reform continued to rage across France. The continuing strikes and protest action come after more than a million demonstrators marched in cities and towns across France on Tuesday, in what unions see as the biggest show of force against the planned changes since the beginning of the movement in January.
SUNWING FLIGHTS WITH ALL-FEMALE CREWS TAKE TO THE SKY
In honour of International Women’s Day, Sunwing celebrated the departure of three Sunwing Airlines flights yesterday that took off for sunny destinations from Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg, each with an all-female flight deck and cabin crew. Operated and organized by a primarily female-led team across multiple functions, including airport staff, dispatch, scheduling and more, today’s events were driven by the epic women of Sunwing who were also on site to capture every memorable moment.
NORTH TORONTO HITS JACKPOT WITH NEW CASINO RESORT
A massive new $1-billion entertainment resort is set transform a remote northern section of Toronto when it opens its doors this summer with a modern Vegas-style casino, integrated 400-room hotel, 5,000-seat live entertainment venue, and multiple on-site dining options.
NORTHERN PILOT SHORTAGE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Airlines that operate in the North – where many residents rely on flights for transportation and goods – say disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, a Canada-wide pilot shortage and new fatigue regulations are creating headwinds. “With the COVID effect, that took a lot of people out of the marketplace,” said Michael Rodyniuk, president and CEO of Canadian North. “It’s not as attractive as it used to be to become a pilot.”
WOMEN IN FLIGHT: Air Canada announces scholarship winners
On the occasion of International Women’s Day yesterday (March 8), Air Canada and the CAE Women in Flight Ambassador program announced the recipients of the 2023 Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to Canadian women studying to become commercial pilots or aircraft maintenance engineers.
THE NEED FOR SPEED: Experience world’s fastest car in Coventry
Ever wondered what it’s like to drive the fastest car in the world? With the reopening of the star attraction at the Coventry Transport Museum in February, museum visitors in the UK city now have the chance to experience what it feels like to break the sound barrier on land.
‘TOURISM ALWAYS COMES BACK’: Industry hails return of ITB
ITB Berlin opened Tuesday, marking its first in-person event since 2019. And as the global travel industry flocked to the German capital for the world’s largest travel show, the United Nations Tourism Organization announced that tourism is on track to achieve full recovery this year.
MAKING PEARSON GREAT AGAIN
In the face of recent service cuts and general passenger and industry disillusionment – and a claim that Canada is “years behind” other countries when it comes to digital border solutions – a new coalition of travel and business leaders has joined together with the goal of ensuring that Toronto Pearson remains “a global beacon of air travel.”
ROAD RISKS WORRY WOMEN TRAVELLERS: Feel less safe than men
A global survey of business travellers reveals that over seven in 10 women (71%) say they are less safe when travelling for work than men. And, to that end, they are more likely to take measures to protect their safety while away from home, employing such tactics as not going out at night or wearing a wedding ring to ward off unwanted attention.
GREAT GETAWAYS: Getting to know Chicago
Lynn Osmond has lived in Chicago for close to 30 years, but the St. Catharines, Ont., native, who oversees tourism in the Illinois city, has a unique perspective on how Canadians view her adopted home – and what many of us are missing when it comes to awareness and knowledge of the bustling midwestern destination.